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The end of the year is a great time to pause, look back and
recognize how far you've come. Give yourself a pat on the back,
as much of your progress is due to the habits and routines you've
put into place.

While developing these habits can be imperative to an
entrepreneur's success, adhering to them takes practice and
discipline.

For your New Year's resolution, consider taking your habits to
the next level. Here are three tips:

1. Think about the end result. I see people
spending too much time, energy and focus on the actual habit they
are trying to add to their routine. They make a list, fill up
their calendar and even get someone to serve as an accountability
buddy -- all in the name of the habit. Stop wasting your time
formulating a habit, instead focus on the outcome. My suggestion
is to spend that time visualizing what the habit will get you.
What is the result of taking on that new habit?

2. Have a goal in mind. You've got years -- or
maybe even decades -- of experience under your belt. The way
you've done things, the routines you've put into place, have
gotten you right here, right now. If you're going to change,
you're going to have to do things, well, differently.

But to break a lifelong habit or form a new one, you've got to
have a specific goal you're marching toward, and it should be
measurable. The more exact, the better. There's got to be
something you're working on that you can break down to a level of
quantification. For instance, if you want to be more punctual,
consider writing down how long every task actually takes. This
will allow you to observe where you may be wasting time (i.e.
checking emails), which may be causing you to be continuously
late.

3. More times, less time. If you're picking up a
new habit, then by default it means that it's not comfortable.
That's why it isn't a habit yet. When starting out go easy on
yourself. Make it okay to do less of the habit but more times per
a specific time period, like a week or a month.

When I decided to make it habit to get in more in shape, I
decided to become a triathlete. In that first year, I can't begin
to count the number of seven-minute workouts. Yes, I only worked
out for a very short amount of time. My thinking was, "I'd rather
do something five times a week, for as much time as I have than
to hold myself to some standard that a workout isn't a workout
unless it's a certain amount of time." And it worked.